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Speaking Exercise: English Pubs

If you travel to Britain, make sure you visit a pub! This is where you can socialise and meet people - and try out your English speaking skills. But you'll need to know some special expressions. Try our quiz below!

Level: Pre-intermediate and above

1. Your British friend asks, ''What are you having?'' You reply __

Half a lager please!

I've only got a bit of money.

A common way to offer a drink is ''What are you having?'' If you reply ''half a lager'' you are asking for half a pint of lager. (A pint is a measure of liquid.)

2. You and your friend finish your first drink. Then you say to your friend, ''Same again?'' It means __

Can you buy me the same drink again?

Do you want (me to buy you) the same drink again?

If you say ''same again?'', you're offering the other person another drink. (If your friend offers you a second drink, you can accept with ''I'll have the same again, please.''

3. Later, your friend says to you, ''It's your round!'' This means:

It's your turn to buy drinks for everyone in your group.

Your friend is offering you another drink.

Buying a ''round'' of drinks is very common. It means that one person buys drinks for everyone in the group; then a second person buys drinks for everyone, and so on. If it's ''your round'', it's your turn to buy!

4. If someone says to you, ''Get the beers in!'' they mean __

Drink your beer!

Go and buy beer for the group

''Get the beers in!'' = ''Buy the beer!''

5. You wait at the bar to buy drinks. The person working behind the bar says to you, ''Are you being served?'' You answer __

Yes, thank you.

Um, no... (Four pints of lager, please.)

''Are you being served?'' means ''Have you already given your order to someone?'' If you're still waiting, tell the barman / barmaid what you want. (Say ''please'' at the end!)

6. You come back to your friends with the drinks. Before you start drinking, say __

Cheers!

Health!

''Cheers'' is the most common salutation when we drink together.

7. You want to offer a drink to the person serving you. You say: __

And one for yourself!

Let me buy you a drink!

Because we don't give tips in a pub, we can offer the bar staff a drink (or the price of a drink) instead. We say ''And one for yourself!'' or ''Have one for yourself''. (The person serving will often ''save'' the drink for the end of the evening, rather than drinking it immediately.)

8. Your friend asks you, ''Fancy a game of pool?'' You say:

I don't really like swimming.

Sure! Why not?

''Pool'' is a common game played in pubs and bars, similar to snooker.